A YouTube influencer and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) supporter B Vengala Rao, who was arrested by the Crime Investigation Department (CID) on August 26, Friday, has alleged he was brutally tortured in police custody. Vengala Rao, spoke about the police brutality when he was produced in front of the magistrate on Friday. The court directed him to undergo another medical examination following the allegation.
Vengala Rao was arrested by the CID in the early hours of Friday. The 32-year-old runs a YouTube channel called Gharshana Media which is critical of the YSRCP government. B Vengala Rao, popularly known as BVR, had put out a video on August 25 slamming the vandalisation of an Anna canteen in Kuppam by alleged YSRCP supporters. Rao’s YouTube channel has over 2.41 lakh subscribers and he has over 1,600 videos that have been uploaded so far. He was also reportedly part of the TDP protest outside the DGP office against the Kuppam violence. He was arrested by the CID from Kodada bypass junction in Telangana, when he was reportedly enroute to Hyderabad.
Speaking to TNM, a source in CID said, “The CID received a complaint against Rao. We arrested him and produced him in court. The complaint claimed that he demanded money in order to stop the publishing of certain content on his YouTube channel.” When asked about Rao’s allegation that was tortured in custody, the source denied it. “He was tutored to claim that he was tortured,” the police officer said.
Taking to Twitter, MLC and TDP national general secretary Nara Lokesh slammed the CID and alleged that they are now working at the behest of the YSRCP. Sharing a video of Rao, Nara Lokesh said that Rao was arrested illegally and subjected to third degree torture. He also said that such kind of illegal arrests wouldn’t deter those who question the government. Lokesh also demanded that Rao be released immediately and that action be taken against the officials who violated the law.
Rao has been booked under Sections 153(A) (promoting enmity between different groups), 505(2) (statements creating or promoting enmity between classes), 506 (criminal intimidation), 386 (extortion by putting a person in fear of death or grievous hurt), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC and Sec 67-A of the IT Act of 2000.